1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an iodine laser. Such a laser comprises a tubular receptacle containing a gaseous laser medium containing an iodine compound which can be stimulated for laser emission and a device capable of producing a population inversion in the laser medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an iodine laser, the active part of the gaseous laser medium is generally constituted by an organic iodine compound which can be photolytically decomposed by a flash tube.
When a laser pulse is emitted, only a part of the organic iodine compound contained in its tube is decomposed by photolysis to form molecular iodine and an inactive gas. When the tube containing the unused organic iodine compound is subsequently illuminated, this molecular iodine reduces the efficiency of laser emission since iodine atoms in the fundamental state are formed by various reactions. To avoid this reduction in efficiency, it has been necessary up till now to replace the gas in the laser tube after each firing. This operation is both long and expensive, for the unused iodine compound must either be discarded or else recuperated. Preferred embodiments of the present invention is to improve the use of the stimulable iodine compound in a laser diode.